Boards

Fab dusts off catenaccio and deploys it to good effect against Spain. Nice to know we have a plan B for teams that we aren't technically good enough to beat. It was very pragmatic though. Still, we're gonna win the Euros and all that.

Would you go down swinging attempting to play good football or attempt to grind out results playing horrible anti-football? I'm not sure personally.

I would rather Hendon win than play stylish football. If they achieve the former with a bit of the latter then that's great. If I'm watching two sides as a neutral then yeah, the more good football the better, clearly - and those sides that pass and move are more likely to get my affection than Holland circa 2010, for example.

Obviously ideally we'd like to England play amazing total football AND get results, but we don't have the players to do that so we might as well concentrate on the results bit. I'd hate it if this became our default style of play though.

to try to play open attacking football against Barcelona so that they can roll over Man Utd and win the Champions League, as is their destiny. Much better than these Chelsea and Internazionale types who set up to give Barca a competitive game and, God forbid, beat them.

last ditch tackles, crucial headers off the goal line and a heartbreaking last minute goal when Lescott falls over, Walker drop kicks Parker and hart throws it into his own net. BOOOOOOOOOOO CAPELLO BOOOOOOOOOOOOO

of circumstances which are unlikely to be replicated in a competitive match. The main feature of the first half was that Spain were content to tippy tappy about and were a)not particularly desperate to score and b) England were not good enough to do anything about this but were grateful that Spain were only mildly toying with them. In the second half, England took the lead from a set piece and the game changed - Spain suddenly woke up, but also, crucially, so did England, who suddenly had something to defend. What followed was a backs to the wall job, but Spain were increasingly playing at a faster tempo that they don't like and they were actually being tackled, which they weren't expecting. As it was, England still rode their luck in the last ten minutes.

In a competitive game, Spain would have been much more clinical and motivated right from the off - and if they had taken the lead, you wouldn't see any real way of England getting back into it.

England should savour this result as a one-off, but that's all it was.

Personally I couldn't give two shakes how or if England win. But on a club level if my team played hoof it football in order to get promoted/solidify a position then I don't have a problem with it but if they continue to play that type of football and achieve no progress then what's the point? Football's entertainment so why would you continually watch something that was boring and unsuccessful?

bit surprising as wellbeck is yet to get his first start and he's been subbed on more. i think wellbeck would be better with zamora as i think wellbeck is better at the assist part of the game, but theres not much between em, and sturridge has looked more lethal in front of goal than wellbeck.

looking forward to the u21s tonight, if Keane is lining up alongside Sordell as has been hinted.

Dissapointing goalless home draw against Switzerland, thanks to an outstanding performance by Diego Benaglio. Team booed off the pitch. Van Der Vaart (hamstring) and Van Persie (not injured) to miss tomorrow's away game against Germany, who also drew, against Ukraine

but you're about the only person I've come across since who thought that Parker had a bad game on Saturday. He came away with the ball loads, especially in the first half. Him and Lescott were probably equally deserving of MOTM.

when in this game, he was more responsible for preventing the opposition from building attacking moves in the final third. That's what he's there for, tackle/interception then 10 yard pass. He's not expected to create in that system.

I honestly didn't see him misplace too many passes but if he did it was in keeping with the general England performance and in no way negates his excellent defensive display.

While we're on the subject Scott Parker has more tackles per game than anyone in the top 5 leagues of European football this season, and has a 90% average pass completion rate. He's on some right form.